Detachable chair back



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United States Patent Ofice 3,525,549 DETACHABLE CHAIR BACK Edward M. Knabusch and Edwin J. Shoemaker, Monroe, Mich., assignors to La-Z-Boy Chair Company, Monroe, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed July 19, 1968, Ser. No. 746,058 Int. Cl. A47c 4/02, 27/14 US. Cl. 297-460 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is no known art which discloses the particular chair construction and it is believed that the particular structure for providing a removable back is broadly new.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Many of the chairs manufactured today have a high back and particularly those of the reclining type. The shipment cost of the chairs is exceedingly high because of the area occupied when the back is retained in fixed relation to the seat. The present invention permits the back to be separated from the seat so that it can rest on the seat during shipment and thereby substantially reduce the area occupied and the shipping cost. The chair back has a slide bracket on each side edge composed of a web and an inwardly presenting channel section at the sides and top. Apertures in the web receive securing elements by which the brackets are secured on the back. A locking arm is pivoted to each bracket which draws them into secured fixed relation to upwardly extending links on the chair which receives the brackets when moved downwardly thereover. The locking arms secure the brackets and links against separation and retain them in firm fixed relation against any movement when in use. By releasing the locking arms the back may be removed and placed upon the seat to substantially reduce the space occupied by the chair in storage and when transported.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view of a chair with the back removed and resting upon the seat;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged broken view of the chair, seat and back when in joined relationship;

FIG. 3 is a broken view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 with the back separated from the seat;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line 44 thereof, and

FIG. 5 is a broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line 55 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A chair is supported on a base 11 having a cushion 12 and a pair of spaced arms 13. A back 14, as illustrated in FIG. 1, rests upon the cushion 12 between the arms 13 in knocked-down relation for storing and shipping. In the example illustrated, the seat 12 will be urged forwardly when the back 14 is tilted backwardly, but it is to be understood that the back may be separated from the seat when the seat is in fixed relation to the chair frame. In the present arrangement, an S-shaped link 15 is secured to the inner face of the arms 13 by a link 16 3,525,549 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 which is attached thereby by securing elements 20. Upstanding ends 17 of the links 15 are pivotally secured to the top end of the links 16 by rivets 18. The curved portion of the links 15 is connected by a pivot 19 to a bracket 21 secured at opposite sides of the seat by screws 22.

The lower end of the links 15 is secured by a pivot 23 to a laminated link 24. which has a slot 25 therein. The bracket 21 has an extending end 26 containing an aperture through which a bolt 27 extends. The bolt has a washer thereon containing a pair of fingers 28- which extends within the slot 25 with washers 29 of plastic or like material disposed between the laminations and the outer faces of the link 24. A spring 31 and a thumb nut 32 is applied to the threaded end of the bolt 27 so that a pressure can be applied between the extending end 26 and the laminations of the link 24 for regulating the amount of force required to move the back to different positions and for retaining it therein.

The opposite sides of a frame 33 of the back 14 has a slide bracket 34 secured thereto by screws 35 in the conventional manner. The slide bracket has a web portion 36 and inwardly presenting channel sections 37 at the sides and a section 38 at the top of arcuate shape following the arcuate shape of the top of the upstanding link ends 17. The bottom of the side channel section may be flared outwardly at 39 to readily receive the upstanding ends 17 of the links 15. With this arrangement the slide brackets at each side of the back may be moved downwardly over the upstanding link ends 17 to be limited in the downward movement by the top channel section 38.

The web portion 36 is extended at 41 below the top channel section 38 for supporting a locking arm 42 when secured thereon by a rivet 43 and a sinuous spring washer 44. The locking arm has an offset cam portion 45 which extends within a notch 46 in the edge of the upstanding link ends 17 for clamping the slide brackets thereto and locking them against endwise displacement. The cam portion 45 forces the link end 17 against the opposite side channel section of the slide brackets to firmly secure the brackets to the link without chance of movement occurring therebetween.

The chair is shipped in knock-down condition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and it is only necessary to lift the back 14 and insert the slide brackets 34 downwardly over the upstanding ends 17 of thelinks 15 to apply the back to the seat. Thereafter, the downward movement of the locking arms 42 will clamp the slide brackets in firm fixed relation to the ends of the links 15. The movement of the cam portion 45 in the notch 46 in the edge of the link 15 firmly draws the channel sections-37 opposite to the locking arms against the opposite edges of the links 15 in firm fixed relation throughout the length thereof. The location of the cam portion 45 in the slot 46 prevents any upward movement of the back relative to the links 15' while the locking arms are retained in position by the sinuous spring washer 44. After attachment the back is fixed to the chair frame or seat in a' rigid manner against any movement when in use.

What is claimed is:

1. In a chair having a frame a seat and a back, a slide bracket at each side of said back, an upstanding link at each side of the frame which receives said slide brackets, and locking means on said slide brackets for securely locking the brackets to said upstanding links.

2. In a chair as recited in claim 1, wherein a bracket is secured at each side of said seat to which the links on the frame are pivoted, and a bracket on the facing sides of the frame to which the upper ends of the links are pivoted.

3. In a chair as recited in claim 2, wherein the slide bracket has a web and facing channel sections at the sides andtop, and securing means for attaching the web of the slide brackets to the side edges of the back.

4. In a chair as recited in claim 3, wherein the web of the slide brackets is extended at one side, and wherein said locking means is a locking arm pivoted to each said extension having a cam projection which engages the edge of the upstanding links for securing the opposite edge of the links in the engaged channel section of the slide bracket.

5. In a chair as recited in claim 4, wherein the link is extended to the bottom of the seat, a laminated link pivoted to the bottom end of the first said link, and an adjustable friction element between the laminated link and seat for regulating the pressure required to tilt the back rearwardly.

6. In a chair as recited in claim 1, wherein said locking means embodies a locking arm pivoted to each said slide bracket which firmly secures the bracket to the upstanding links after the brackets have been applied thereto.

7. In a chair as recited in claim 6, wherein the rear edge of said links has a notch and said lock arms have 4 a projecting cam which moves into the notch when the locking arm is moved to locking position to prevent the removal of the back.

8. In a chair as recited in claim 7, wherein the slide brackets have facing channel side sections and wherein the front edge of the links is forced into the front channel sections in firm fixed relation therewith throughout the length thereof by the force applied by the projecting cam at the rear edge of the links.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,605,820 8/1952 Powell et al 297416 3,044,830 7/1962 Kolle 297361 3,066,982 12/1962 Brower 297443 3,171,690 3/1965 Weiss 297440 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. 01. X.R. 

